banks



(No Model.)

G. L. BANKS.

RUNNING GEAR EOE VEHICLES.

No. 453,533. PatentedJune 2,1891.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. BANKS, OF FREDONIA, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR 'FO CHARLES B. FAR- VELL,OF SAME PLACE, GEORGE CROOKE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND JOHN R. LEWIS,OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

RUNNING-GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 453,533, dated J une 2,1891.

Application iiled October 21, 1890. Serial No. 368,871. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. BANKS, of Fredonia, in the county ofVilson and State of Kansas, have invented anew and Improved Running-Gearfor Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to an improvement in running-gear for vehicles; andhas for its object to provide a gear especially adapted for 1o use uponthe bodies of carriages-such as buggies-so constructed that the springsneed not be attached to the body, thus preserving them from t-he severeracking strain which such springs have usually to sustain.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means whereby thespring will have an independent end movementand at the same timepreserve the body level sidewise. i

The invention consists in the novel conzc struction and combination ofthe several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointedout in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification,

2 5 in which similai` gures of reference indicate corresponding parts inall the views.

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a wagonbody having the running-gearapplied. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the running-gear, the

3o springs being in section, and likewise the body of the vehicle. Fig.3 is a transverse section through the springs and the forked bars, thesection being taken practically on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 isa plan 3 5 view of one of the forked bars used in connection with thesprings.

Upon the under face of the vehicle-body 10 two sets of brackets 11 and12 are secured, the set 1l being located near the rear end,

4o one at each side, and the other set near the forward end, also one ateach side, of the body. The front set of brackets is slightly shorterthan the rear set and the brackets are downwardly and forwardly curved,and the rear set is curved to a practically sem icircular shape andextends downwardly and rearwardly, as best illustrated in Fig. 2.

The rear axle 13 is provided with attached or integral blocks 13auponits front face, in

which a rock-shaft lei is journaled, and at 5o the extremities of theshaft crank-arms 15 are formed pivotally connected wit-h the lowerextremities of the rearbrackets 11 by links 16. Blocks 17, correspondingto the blocks of the rear axle, are formed upon the rear side of abolster-bar 18, which is preferably provided with a concaved upper and aconvexed lower face, and in the blocks 17 a forward rock-shaft 19 isjournaled, provided at each end with a crank-arm 20, the said crank-arms6o being pivoted directly to the lower extremities of the forwardbrackets 12.

The forward axle 21 is pivotcd, by means of a king-bolt or itsequivalent, to the under centrai surface of the bolster-bar, and isfitted with any approved form of 'chill-sections 22, and the rear axleand bolster-bar are connected by diagonal strap-plates 23, which crosseach other about centrally beneath the body, being attached at theirpoint of con- 7o tact. The extremities of the strap-plates are usuallysecurely attached to the bolster-bar at or near its extremities and tothe rear axle at a pointnear the blocks 13, At the crossing of thestra-ps 23 a hanger 24 is fastened 75 provided with an aperture 25, anda downwardly-extending arm 26 is secured at the center of the rearrock-shaft, while an opposing arm 27 is likewise attached to the forwardrock-shaft. 8o

Forked bars 2S and 29 are pivoted to the arms 26 and 27, one to eacharm, and the bifurcated ends of the bars are so interlocked that one iscapable of sliding between the members a of the other, as is bestillustrated 3 5 in Figs. 2 and 3. The two interlocking bars pass throughthe aperture in the hanger 24. The pivotal ends of the bars are slightlytwisted and provided with one 0r more additional pivot-openings 30,whereby the length 9o of the bars between the arms may be increased ordecreased and the bars themselves act as a take-up. The interlockingbars are encircled by two coiled springs 31 and 32, one being located ateach side of the hanger 24, and the springs are held in place by bendingthe extremities of the bar members a to form lugs 23, extending at aright angle therefrom The springs may be made more orless expansible byshortening the bars, andV this may be accomplished either by changingtheir pivotal points or by upsetting more or less of the bifurcatedextremities of the bars.

It is evident that in Kthe presence of any weight in the body of thevehicle the action of"V the body upon the running-gear will be such asto draw outward the forked bars and compress the springs, which actionwill counteract any shock the occupant of the body of the vehicle wouldotherwise sustain when the vehicle is in motion. It is further apparentthatY thecrnechanism between the body and the springs will prevent thelatter from receiving a sudden strain, thereby greatly adding to thedurability of the springs, and although the springs are centrallylocated and` capable of an independent end movement the structureconnecting them with the body being very stable, and extending fromfront to rear of the latter, will not permit the body to sag sidewise.

Y Having thus described my invention, I claim asnew and desire to secureby Letters Patentl. The combination, with forward and rear rock-shaftsadapted to be pivotally connected with a vehicle-body and axlesconnected with the shafts, of interlocking sliding bars pivotallyconnected with the shafts, a collar loosely encircling the bars, and aspring coiled around the bars at each side of the collar and engagingthe extremities of the bars, as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with a forward and a L rear rock-shaft adapted to bepivotally connected with a wagon-body, of arms projected downward fromthe rock-shafts, sliding bars pivotally connected with the arms, acollar loosely encircling the bars, a spring coiled around the bars ateach side of the collar and engaged by the extremities of the bars, anda connection, substantially as shown and described, between therock-shafts and the forward and rear axles, as and for the purposespecified.

3. The combination, with a vehicle-body, the forward axle, a forwardbolster-bar provided with journal-blocks, and a rear axle also providedwith journal-blocks, of rockshafts journaled in the blocks of thebolster and axle and adapted for pivotal connection with a wagon-body,forked bars pivotally connected with the rock-shafts and held to slideone upon the other, a collar encircling the bars, and a spring coiledaround the bars at each side of the collar, the outer ends of thesprings being engagedA by the outer extremities of the forked bars, asand for the purpose specified. Y

4. The combination, with a vehicle-body, forwardly and downwardly curvedbrackets secured to the forward portion of the body, and downwardly andrearwardly curved brackets attached to the rear portion of the body, aforward rockshaft provided with crank-arms at its extremities pivotallyconnected with the forward brackets, a rear rock-shaft provided withcrank-arms at its extremities having a link connection with the rearbrackets, a bolster provided with journal-blocks in which the forwardrock-shaft is journaled, and a rear axle provided with boxes in whichthe rear shaft is journaled, of diagonal plates connecting the bolsterand the rear axle, a forward axle pivoted upon the bolster, an apertured hanger secured to the diagonal plates, forked bars held to slide oneupon the other through the aperture of the bracket and pivotallyconnected with the rock-shafts,

the outer ends of the forkedV bars beingV up- Y wardly curved, and aspring coiled around the sliding bars at each side of the bracket, asand for the purpose specified.

GEORGE L. BANKS.Y

XVit-nesses:

FRED L. MORRIS, J. W. SHEETS.

